Lozz196

The last item I bought was a 2016 US Precision last Saturday, entirely un-needed, I just wanted one in white/rosewood. A week before that I bought a BOSS WL20 Wireless Kit so I could (in my mind) leap around the stage (in reality it`s stumble/shuffle around on the same spot). But in answer to the question re the last item I bought that made a positive difference to my sound, it was my Tech21 Sansamp Para Driver bought early last year. I wouldn`t be without it now. It`s as much part of my sound as my Precision and fresh steel round-wound strings.

I`ve not heard the Rumble cabs in action but the Rootmasters are very nice cabs - I had the 210/115 for a while, swapped to two of the 210s, both set-ups very nice and they`re an easy lift. But, and this is a big but, have you considered changing to rounds instead of flats? For the music stated try some Rotosound/Warwick Red Lable Steel rounds with all the extra harmonics going on that come with rounds, it may be a much more economical way of getting where you need.

Yep, a few of my mates have a band where they rehearse once a week and have a laugh. They have no intention of ever gigging, but it`s a night out where they can be daft, tell stupid jokes, and play songs they`ve loved for 20+ years, all for less than a tenner, and wake up without a hangover. Each to their own, it`s what the individual wants from it and getting in cahoots with like-minded people is often the most difficult thing of all.

I currently have 5 of the 2012-16 Series MIAs, all are fantastic. I`m quite happy buying this particular range blind providing the seller has confirmed in the for sale ad that the truss rod and all moving parts are working correctly, I have that much faith in them.

Well I`ve no experience of 5-string Precisions, but imo the best standard range (as opposed to custom shop) 4 string Precisions Fender have made (that I`ve tried, and I`ve tried/owned plenty) are the 2012-16 range. Nab yourself one of those and sit back grinning.

What killed rock n roll - musicians being told/thinking they`re role models.

The tattooist I go to gets all of his music mixed at Abbey Road and he says it really is a step up.

It could well be the cabs you know, Markbass cabs do have a high-end roll-off. I`ve always been very impressed when hearing Markbass amps through Barefaced cabs. But saying that, I think @Cuzzie hit it spot on, one set-up you love, the other not so.

Well imo they are seriously good basses, not for the money, just seriously good full stop. I`ve been really impressed with my Tony Butler V4.

It sounds to me that your ears preferred the TC rig. I`m not knocking the Markbass gear that you have, far from it, I`ve had that gear myself, but from your post it appears to me that you really preferred the TC gear. Given that I`d say get that same rig. I ended up with Ashdown through the same sort of circumstances, every time I played through an Ashdown rig I far preferred it to my own, so went and bought some Ashdown gear.

Nice one, will continue via PM

Looks great, Mark, if I were any use with anything practical I`d refin my Vintage Tony Butler V4 in white, but I`m utterly pony at anything/everything practical. Don`t suppose you want to earn a few quid doing it, do you?

If I recall correctly Tim, you depped with said drummer/band for a while?

OK, update time. Used the WL20 at 2 gigs at the weekend, hadn`t had a chance to use it at rehearsal so went straight in, trusting it would deliver. And it did. Great to be cable-free. I`m not much of a mover/leaper around stage, but it`s so liberating to not be fearful of falling over your own dratted lead. I didn`t notice any difference in sound but that`s cos I was using 2 different rigs at each gig, neither being the same as my own. Overall I`m very glad I made this purchase.

I played an all-dayer at The Fleece in Bristol yesterday, 7 punk/oi bands and today my ears are whistle-free. The sound-people they have there are to be applauded, they make all the bands sound great, at volumes which are tolerable. Bear in mind punk/oi isn`t exactly subtle, yet you could hear the bar staff when ordering a pint of diet coke, chat - albeit loudly - to people when the bands were playing. A great venue made even better for the sensible approach to the sound.

Nice one, the addition of the cab really makes you grin, doesn`t it. I remember when I had the same amp/cab set-up how the combo itself was loud enough, but adding in the cab just added so much more quality to the sound.

I`ve been playing for 37 years, gigging pretty regularly for about 25 of those years, the main things I`ve learned from this have been don`t be a tw8t to any of the bands/promoters/sound-men/venue staff, but above all, audience members. And don`t play when drunk, the only person that thinks you play better when you`ve had a bevy or two is yourself, everyone else notices it for what it really is, pi88ed and cr8p.

Great shame, C&Ds music was part of my teens, always on Top of The Pops bringing their own particular brand of great music.

Bought a stunning Fender Precision from Chris. Good comms throughout the transaction, and collected from him as I was playing a gig nearby. Thanks Chris, great bass, am well chuffed.

And there`s an Ashdown Rootmaster 800 on here for silly money at present. They really are quality amps, my RM500 is incredibly powerful and it`s only on really big stages where I can tell the difference between it and my ABM600 - the all elusive heft is more present with the ABM on those large stages, it just retains that weight to the sound. But on a regular stage or pub sized venue then the RM500 is more than enough, so the 800 would no doubt be a worthy addition.

We rehearse every week, irrespective of gig schedules, unless one of us can`t make it for whatever reason. The drive for me is 15mins, but I`d happily drive 30/45, however what I wouldn`t want is to get in after 11pm, so that would be a big factor for me. Sensible punk rockers that we are we start at 5:30ish, often in by 8pm for tea and toast.

Yeah and those Fender amps seemed to be voiced to really hit the loud-spots.

I`m a rounds guy through and through, I`ve tried both the EB Cobalts and Fender 9050s and preferred the EBs purely as they feel nicer to play. If I were to be playing my previously preferred sound of warm/rich/Ampeggy I`d probably choose the EBs for that as well, but for my current sound they just don't work, as it`s very twangy and quite driven. Not a fault with the strings, just the wrong ones for that job.

Last band I went to see was The Last Resort in Bedford a couple of weeks back. And very nicely too we are playing on the same bill as them this Saturday, at The Fleece in Bristol,

Post 2012 models I`d say yes the MIMs are def better, but before that it was for me dependent on the individual instrument itself rather than generalisation. Some were great, others not so.